Luteolin（ 491-70-3）

Luteolin (CAS: 491-70-3), chemically named 3',4',5,7-Tetrahydroxyflavone, has the chemical formula C₁₅H₁₀O₆ and a molecular weight of 286.24. It is a naturally occurring flavonoid compound widely distributed in various plants in nature, especially in homologous plants of medicine and food such as honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, scutellaria baicalensis and perilla frutescens. As an important secondary metabolite in plants, it is also a natural functional raw material with medicinal, health care and skin care values. As a typical representative of natural flavonoids, Luteolin is widely used in medicine, food additives, cosmetics, dietary supplements and other fields due to its diverse biological activities such as strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and bacteriostatic effects, as well as its natural safety and no obvious toxic and side effects, occupying an important position in the big health and chemical industries.

In terms of physical and chemical properties, Luteolin appears as pale yellow needle crystals or crystalline powder, odorless, tasteless and non-irritating, with stable overall physical and chemical properties. Its melting point is about 328-330℃, and its specific rotation meets the standards of natural flavonoids. Its solubility has distinct characteristics: it is sparingly soluble in cold water, slightly soluble in hot water, and easily soluble in organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, acetone and ether. It can dissolve in alkaline solutions and show yellow color. This solubility feature allows it to improve water solubility through solvent compounding, microencapsulation and other technologies in product processing, enhancing application adaptability. Luteolin has a certain tolerance to strong light and high temperature, and can be stored stably under normal temperature, dry, sealed and light-proof conditions. It is prone to oxidative inactivation when exposed to strong light, high temperature or high humidity for a long time. Therefore, it must be stored in sealed, light-proof and dry conditions to avoid moisture absorption, caking or component degradation, ensuring the purity and activity stability of the product. At the same time, it should be stored separately from oxidants to prevent chemical reactions.

In terms of production process, Luteolin is mainly prepared from natural plants by green and environmentally friendly extraction and purification processes. At present, the mainstream processes include solvent extraction, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction and enzymatic extraction. Among them, ultrasonic-assisted extraction has become the preferred industrial production process due to its high extraction efficiency, short time consumption, low energy consumption and no damage to active ingredients. The production process strictly follows green chemical standards, mainly including precision steps such as raw material pretreatment, extraction, filtration, concentration, purification, crystallization, drying and packaging. After cleaning and crushing, the raw materials are extracted with organic solvents such as ethanol, and then impurities are removed by column chromatography, recrystallization and other methods to improve product purity. In industrial production, high-purity Luteolin can be stably produced with a purity of more than 98% and impurity content controlled below 2%, meeting the relevant industry standards of food grade, cosmetic grade and pharmaceutical grade, and can meet the large-scale application needs of different fields. There are various packaging specifications, suitable for laboratory research and industrial production.

The core value of Luteolin lies in its diverse and powerful biological activities. Verified by a large number of experiments and clinical studies, it is extremely safe with no obvious toxic and side effects, suitable for long-term use, and has been approved as a food additive and dietary supplement raw material in many countries and regions. Its core functions are concentrated in strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, bacteriostatic, immune regulation and other aspects: as a natural powerful antioxidant, Luteolin can efficiently scavenge excess free radicals in the body, inhibit lipid peroxidation, reduce the damage of free radicals to cells, delay body aging and skin aging. Its antioxidant capacity is better than that of vitamin C and vitamin E, and it is mild and non-irritating, suitable for all groups of people.

In terms of anti-inflammatory, Luteolin can inhibit the release of inflammatory factors, relieve inflammatory reactions, and has a certain auxiliary improvement effect on skin inflammation, respiratory inflammation, mild gastrointestinal inflammation, etc., especially suitable for soothing cosmetics and anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical raw materials; in terms of bacteriostatic, it has an inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria and fungi, and can be used in food preservation and the R&D of bacteriostatic products; in addition, Luteolin can also regulate the body's immune function, enhance the body's resistance, assist in improving immune deficiency, and also has effects such as auxiliary liver protection and cardiovascular protection, further expanding its application scenarios.

In terms of application scenarios, Luteolin is widely used in four major fields: medicine, food, cosmetics and health products. In the pharmaceutical field, as a pharmaceutical intermediate, it is used for the R&D of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant drugs to assist in improving the symptoms of related diseases; in the food field, as a natural food additive, it is used for antioxidant, preservation and flavor regulation, suitable for the production of various foods such as fruit juices, pastries, beverages and health products; in the cosmetic field, as an active raw material, it is applied to toners, essences, face creams, masks and other products, focusing on anti-aging, soothing and bacteriostatic, especially suitable for sensitive skin; in the field of dietary supplements, it can be made into tablets and capsules alone, or combined with other flavonoids and vitamins to make compound supplements, focusing on antioxidant and immune regulation effects, suitable for all groups of people.

With the popularization of natural health concepts and the increasing demand for functional raw materials from consumers, the market demand for Luteolin continues to rise due to its natural origin, safety, mildness and clear efficacy. In the future, with the continuous optimization of production processes, its water solubility will be further improved, its application scenarios will be continuously expanded, and more pharmacological effects will be further explored, making it play a greater role in the food, big health and cosmetic fields, and become one of the core products in the field of natural functional raw materials.